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There is a good chance that you’ll have some useless stuff and waste materials lying about in your closet/basement at some point.
Now, when you have kids, such stuff can be a godsend especially if you want to teach them some DIY skills or you have noticed that your child has slowly become a crafting addict (just like dad or mom).
In other words, one of the best ways to keep your kids occupied or help him/her become better at crafting things is some interesting and practical craft ideas for kids with waste material.
Also, bear in mind that crafting can be a fantastic way to boost your kiddo’s imagination and creativity.
And below we have compiled a list of beautiful craft ideas for kids with waste material to point you in the right direction.
Go through them and try them with your child- they’ll forever be glad you did:
Craft ideas for kids with waste material
So here are some of the best craft ideas for kids with waste material for you to try with your children during vacations and weekends:
Making a caterpillar with egg carton
Instead of throwing out that empty egg carton, you can quickly make it into an adorable caterpillar.
You will use the carton to build those little round shapes forming the body of a caterpillar.
This is a nice and inexpensive craft activity for preschool-aged children (any kid from 3 years old will find it friendly).
And everything you really need is probably already available at home.
Follow this YouTube video for the steps.
Alternative idea: Make a cute butterfly out of waste egg carton.
Make a fruit basket out of newspaper
Basket making is another great craft that can delight your kids and all you need is waste newspapers.
What I love most about the project is that the final product looks so cute and it will be surprisingly strong.
Give it a shot (with the help of the YouTube video below).
Make mosaic art with Recycled magazines / any colored paper!
In this project, your youngster will be decorating a small stool simply using your old color magazines or any bright paper lying idle!
The best part? It pretty much turns out looking like you two have used true tiles (you will probably need to guide him).
As an alternative, you could use old brochures (nearly any colored paper should work).
See the steps here.
Wildflower Meadow using chart paper and bottle caps – best for preschool kids
To some art now and your child will be painting a meadow by reusing old plastic bottle caps plus chart paper.
He/she will just dip the old bottle caps in their favorite colors and then paint a meadow that is filled with super colorful wildflowers.
Check out this waste material craft project here.
Make flower vase with waste material
If you have some empty plastic bottles lying around (or plastic containers that you really can’t find any use for), then your kiddo is one step closer to learning a great DIY skill: making enchanting flower vases out of plastics.
Clean and dry your bottles/ containers and help your son/daughter then follow the steps in the YouTube tutorial below.
Alternative ideas you could help your child try:
Make a flower vase from old newspapers
Make clock using waste cardboard
You can consider making a flower vase from waste cardboard but perhaps your child will find making a personalized clock from waster cardboard more intriguing.
Go for this if you have been struggling to teach him/her how to tell time..
Learn how it is made here.
Make Craft Paperweight at home
Another easy craft task out of waste material for younger kids is making stone paper-weight with abstract art!
And you and your little one will appreciate that you only need some stones + paint.
Below is a YouTube tutorial to help you and your little one do it.
Make a bed for his/her toys used matchboxes
There is yet another DIY craft task we find very captivating and easy for most kids..making a mini-bed for her Barbie toy (or other toys).
It is no secret: Kids love their toys so this might be an activity your kid will really enjoy and all you need is used matchboxes plus a few other items.
A little creativity will do no harm as well.
To be clear, you two just have to decorate the matchbox cover depending on the toy.
For example, if a Barbie toy is what you have in mind, make the cover pink.
You then place her toy inside (the cover) and voila! Your endearing toy bed is all set.
Be sure to vary the colors according to the toy that will be ‘sleeping’ there.
Watch this for inspiration.
Build a Wind Turbine with paper cups
How about reusing paper cups into a wind turbine (and save the environment)?
It’s easy for most kiddos and it can be a great way to teach your child about generating energy from wind (wind is certainly one of the best sources of clean energy).
if you ask me, it’s very much worth it!
Go here to see how this fun science craft project for children is done.
Make Fish (Glittery) with old CD+ glitter fomic sheet
You can as well have him/her grab an old CD and work as a team to create a glittery fish that will have everyone in the house wowed!
Learn how to do this step by step on YouTube now.
Create a bird’s house from milk carton
There is so much you can do with cartons and making a cute little home for birds is yet another.
Scout Life magazine has a good tutorial on this.
Here:
Wrapping it up
So, don’t throw out your waste materials- they will be handy when it comes to having quality time with your little ones while making the best out-of-waste.
And with the above craft ideas for kids with waste material, you have a better idea where and how to start.
Good luck to you and your littles.
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